Resilient target



P 1949- R. L. BARKER 2,482,234

RES ILIENT TARGET Filed Oct. 5, 1945 I N VEN TOR. f e 1207442 Z. fia r3567 BY w/w Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE 9 Claims.

My invention contemplates and has for its primary object the provision of novel game apparatus which will receive a charge of energy from a ball or other suitable missile thrown against it and instantly release that energy to repel the missile along a line and at a speed influenced and largely determined by such varying and variable factors as (a) the spot on the impact face of the apparatus contacted by the missile, and (b) the traveling direction, (c) the velocity, and (d) the spin or english, if any, of the missile at the instant of its engagement with such impact face.

Another object of my invention is to provide such an apparatus that economically may be produced with manufacturing equipment and from a variety of materials, ordinarily readily available.

Still another object of my invention is to provide such an apparatus, in a light and portable form, that occupies a minimum of space when not in use.

Yet another object of the invention is to so construct such an apparatus that it will withstand, without perceivable or significant injury, an indefinitely enormous number of impacts by appropriately sized and shaped missiles tossed or hurled against it.

The aforestated and other objects, features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof, wherein reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of my invention that suitably comprises a supporting frame of metal;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view that may be regarded as taken in the plane 3-3 of Fig. 2, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the upper left corner of the apparatus depicted in the preceding figures; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, generally similar to Fig. 2, depicting an embodiment of my invention wherein the supporting frame suitably may be a composite of wood and metal.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, it will be noted that my novel game apparatus comprises a suitably shaped framework I0 which, for purpose of illustration, has been depicted as rectangular, with rounded corners. Such framework may consist of two principal members, namely, a rear member II that may be generally channel-shaped in cross section, with its flanges presented rearwardly, and a front member I2 that has flat surfaces disposed in opposition to the web portion of member II. Members II and I2 desirably are beaded at Ila and I2a to provide them with aligned mutally facing channels which extend continuously around the framework ID.

The framework desirably is provided with downward extensions or legs I3 and with suitable appropriately articulated easel members I4, I5 and 16 arranged and adapted to lie closely adjacent to and in the plane of the framework when not in use.

A salient feature of the present invention is an impact face, generally indicated at H, which resiliently will yield under the impact of a ball or other suitably sized and shaped missile tossed or hurled against it. It is desirable that such impact face be wholly or largely curvedly convex, and I prefer that it resemble a surface of a spheroid.

I also prefer that the impact face I! be an outer surface of an inflatable bag, preferably, but not necessarily, of single ply, that is disposed in and carried by framework I0 and has a continuous perimetrical or peripheral margin securely clamped between the members II and I2 of the framework. Accordingly, in the embodiment of my invention now being discussed, I provide an inflatable bag consisting of a front wall I8 and a rear wall I9. Such Walls I8 and I9 are formed of pliable sheet or sheet-like material, stretchable sheet-like rubber of the kind frequently found in inflatable balls or the bladders thereof being preferred, and have marginal portions 20- 20 clamped between and held in continuous faceto-face contact by the members II and I2 of the framework. When the inflatable bag is formed of sheet-like rubber, the front and rear Walls I8 and I9 desirably have their perimetrical or peripheral portions integrally joined and curved around, and if desired vulcanized to a cylindrical core member 2I of the Wire or rubber or other suitable compressible or non-compressible material. A plurality of screws 22 and their nuts and lock washers, or equivalent means, are relied upon to draw the members I I and I2 toward each other securely to hold the perimetrical or peripheral portions of the bag walls in the framework I 0, with the core 2| and the bag portions curving around it occupying the opposed generally semicylindrical channels afforded by the beads Ila and I2a.

While the bag may be inflated with any gas in any preferred manner, and with the aid of Various suitable instrumentalities, I find it convenient to inflate the bag by air pressure from the mouth, blown through the rubber inflating stem 23, which may be closed against the escape of air in any suitable way, one suitable way being to flatten the stem by drawing its free end under the adjacent loop 24, having its ends vulcanized or otherwise secured to the bag wall I9.

When the ;bag walls 18 and 19:, are formed of stretchable sheet-like material, I prefer that the central portion of the front wall 18 be somewhat thicker than the back wall l9, so that the inflated bag will protrude more from the rearthan from the front of the framework ID, and so that the impact face I! may the longer withstand such wear as results from its repeated QOntacts with the balls or other missiles striking it.

Fig. 5 depicts a framework construction that has definite advantageswhen wood is to be uti- .:lized-;; Herethe front. member of the, framework,

indicated at 120, :is formed ofiwood and :has-surraces-1120a and -:|2ab ,diSpOSed in planes at: ri h angles to; each -other.'.-Theorear member in.-.this :instance'being indicated at1ll0, may be formed of metal or wood; It comprises the generallyzflat p'or-tion Ga having the flange mm whichhas a rounded front: edgesl Hie. Screws; 220 fasten the =m embers l Land lZll togethen. In this form of the invention -theocontacting perimetrical or peripheral margins of the walls 18 and IQ of the -iinflatable -bag-are primarily. clamped between member-l20 and flange. I I'0b-a nd areseco-ndarily clamped between member I20 and-theportion H 22a of the-rear mem'ber'i H *It is preferred that-balls be'the missilesc-tossed or -hurled against the impact-face l1. "Solid rubber balls are excellent for the purpose, but :balls of-other-materials will suffice. Merelytostate examples, and not by way of'lim-itation, I will state that excellent results-have been realized when the impact face I! has an area of substantially -five square'ieet for contact with missiles tossed or hurled against it, andwhen-suchmissiles are sol-id- 'sof-t rubber balls, having diameters of two inches or larger; The missilesare not necessarily round; They maybe cubical or OfirregUlaPshape. :When cubical their faces may beararbitrary numbers or lie-consecutivelynumbered as are dice. The; game apparatus-just described maybe disposed on a beach, lawn, court, or indoor or outdoor-floor.

, An'interestingsolitaire pastime, aifordingbeneficial -exercise to the player, and requiring--for best results accuracy and skills which theaverage player can develop; only by practice; consists instanding in front of the apparatus and tossing or hurling against the impact face H balls or,

other appropriately sized and ,shapedmissiles whichare returned to the player either directly 1, Via a bounce from the surface'on which-the player standsu ,Similarly interesting andbe'neficial, kill-developing ames for tWQOrJnQ 'Q. pl yrsim y invo v a hp ay r so to ing or. hurling sic-missile or missiles againsttheimpactafacehthat such. missile or missileswill vlee-calculated tolletwh m, :ei her d re ly or w th a bounc r goitcward or avoidanotherpleyer -0r=players '2. Generally speaking, the speed and; direction of aball repelled bythe impact face ilzwill beinfluenced by and largely be determined by such factor-s as the particularspot on t'he impactiace' contacted by thelball, and the direction in which the ball is moving, 'the velocityof the'balL'andthe spin or english, if any, of the ball, at theinstant the ball engages the impact face.

When, as is preferred, the impact face I! is provided byia flexible stretchable member distendedito curvedly convex contour by air or other gas pressure exerted upon it from behind, a spot on the impact face against which a ball strikes will yield rearwardly to the inertia of the ball and then instantly reverse the direction of the balland repehitas the energy momentarily stored in the wall [8 and'in the gas cushion is discharged. Whether the shape of the gas bag frame be ap-- proximately square or approximately circular, the rdistended forward portion of the impact face, 5 against which the ball or balls should be aimed, --will approximate a curvedly convex surface of a a: spherpid.

Having thus illustrated and described my invention', what I claim as new and desire to secure 23 by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l efiamecaapparatusa 1 capable Ofml'B'CfiiViIlg a a charge of energy from: a; :missile thrown-against .it; and substantially-instantlyzreleasing ,thatenergy to :repelcthe .=missi1e: withspeed and in a'..direc.- g5 -.-tion-influenced-,more orless by :such'varying rand variable factors as. the spot on ethe-apparatuscontactad by 'themissiIaand thetravelins:. irection act the missile, land the welocity 2 fc hfl3miSSHQ;= and the spineifany, fsihdfllififllQ' at; the instanti he o :rnissile enga es. the;apparatusrccmmis n iassheet of. fl xible tretchable materialea.marsina1 ,fram 1. 01: said sheet, means lyingibehindzsaidr sheetiand cooperatin therewith .tqiorm azcompan ment. f r detundcrapr ssure; which causesasaidcsheet; to 5 seat, aicu v iyzconveaimpactctacezboumied byifi li frame; wherebyien gcment of 'saidiimpact face We 'missile causes but a momentary chan inr-thesshape otrsaid 'fluid;12cmp rtmen l tih l lut fiifihe ,held marginally[substantially 40 stationa y bmzsaidriramei 2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1 air erein hesli et inflexi le stre chable; material sthkcr centrallyathan itns margina11y.-

'. fidfiamerapparatu apable ofwreceiving -a charge atf nerg cm, missile throwmagainst it andusubstantially; instantly:releasinaatha-t energy to repel the missile with speedandsim ar el-ireczticminiiuencedimore ordess bysuchrvarying and variable factorsxas the,,:spoti on. that apparatus lcontactedbyi the missile an'd thetravelingdirecitionsof: the .missile,;and the velocitytof theimissile,

and the spin, if any, of the missile;-attheinstant themissile engagestherapparatus, comprising a sheet 'ofaflexiblermaterial,iaimarginali frameifor said sheet, a second flexible:sheet'zlyingrbehind ,and :coope1 -atingwith the:firstssheet to form a compartment formfluidz; .ondern -pressure which causes i said -sheet toepresenta wcurvedlye convex :imparct faceboundedby saict frame; ivherebyen- V gagement of said impact face by a missile causes fbut a momentarycchang-e in the shape of said "fluid; compartmentewhile the-sheet is hel'demarginally substantially stationary by said frame,

j 4-. Game apparatus as setforth in claim 3 wherein the material-at least-one of the specifled-sheets isistretchable as well as flexible,

Ea-Game apparatus asspec-ified in claim 3 wherein -the -materiat of 'each of--the-=specified sheets is stretchable as well as flexible.-

6. Game --apparatus as specified in -claim 3 wherein the material of -each of the-specified sheets-is-stretchab-le aswell as fl-exiblewith -the material ofthe rear sheet" being more -easily stretchable than the-material of the front-sheet.

*7.- Game apparatusasspecified 'in---claim- '3 wherein the two specified sheets are integrally marginally joined to constitute a fluid-tight bag.

8. Game apparatus, capable of receiving a charge of energy from a missile thrown against it and substantially instantly releasing that energy to repel the missile with speed and in a direction influenced more or less by such varying and variable factors as the spot on the apparatus contacted by the missile, and the traveling direc-- 6 after being engaged by a missile hurled against it. 9. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein the target is a receptacle containing gas under pressure and having one flexible wall which bulges in concavo-convex cross section to afford the specified curvedly convex impact face.

RAYMOND L. BARKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 930,176 Harft Aug. 3, 1909 1,665,969 McNamara Apr. 10, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 255,278 Germany July 30, 1913 

